Culture Bias in Intelligence Assessments

Culturally Biased Intelligence Assessment

Intelligence assessments have existed since the early twentieth century and have continued to be a topic of debate. We all know full well that intelligence assessment is critical to the type if academic success that we achieve in life. One of the primary tools used to assess intelligence is the IQ test. However, the intelligence quotient test has been under scrutiny for decades because it is believed to harbor culturally biased precepts.

The purpose of this discussion is to explore the cultural bias' that exist in intelligence quotient testing. We will begin with a literary review which will start by explaining the definition of cultural bias in testing and the historical implications. We will explain the origins of the IQ test and the reasons why the cultural bias exist. Our discussion will then focus on how cultural bias in intelligence assessment has produced historical implications.

We will then discuss the most widely used IQ test and significance of this test. Our review will then focus on the lasting impacts of cultural bias on our society. These impacts include a lack of attention given to minority students and a sluggish attitude towards challenging students to achieve academic success.

We will also discuss the implications psychometrics and what may happen in the future if a culturally unbiased test is not created. This area of the discussion will focus on the detrimental effects that will happen if intelligence assessment does not change.

Finally, we will end the paper by discussing our findings and stating our conclusions. Now let us begin our literary review on the subject of culturally biased intelligence assessment.

Literary Review

Definition of Cultural bias in Testing and Historical Implications

Myers (1995) contends that the IQ test, as we know it, was created by a German psychologist named William Stern. The test asserts that an individual's intelligence quotient is equal to mental age divided by chronological age multiplied by 100. Other scientists, including Lewis Terman and Alfred Binet helped to perfect the tests. Terman believed that intelligence could be measured and that IQ tests would demonstrate that certain ethnic groups had natural propensities towards crime and lacked intelligence. (Myers 1995) He reckoned that IQ testing could eventually reduce reproduction of these ethnic groups thus creating a reduction in crime. As you can see from the very start the IQ test had less than noble intentions and demonstrated a cultural bias.

Cultural bias in testing involves conducting a test in manner that allows one culture or group of people to benefit from the results. When a test is culturally biased, the wording or cultural norms that are presented in the test will only pertain to one group of people. For example, a test may ask a question that is only relevant to the culture that the test is designed to have a bias towards.

Usually the benefactors of culturally biased tests are the white middle class. While the individuals that suffer are minority groups such as Hispanics, blacks and recent immigrants.

These cultural biases are most evident in commonly used standardized test, such as the SAT and the Intelligence Quotient test. For the purposes of this discussion we will focus on the IQ test.

Patton (1992) explains, that cultural bias in intelligence assessment exists because the tests primarily focus on skills that are valued in Western European culture. The original scientists that formulated the test based the questions on their personal world views, which were Eurocentric. Thus making the test discriminatory against any culture that is not European or does not share the worldview of European culture. (Patton 1992) Patton also explains that California has made it illegal to place students in certain academic settings based on the results of an IQ test because the test are so myopic. (Patton 1992)

Suzuki and Vallencia (1997), also believe that understanding culture is the key to measuring intelligence. The article asserts that a racial-ethnic group difference simply means that there are certain commonalities between individuals that are linked through racial-ethnic groups or through self identification. The authors concede that if individuals were tested along racial-ethnic lines or socioeconomic status the evidence would indicate that no one group is more intelligent than another. (Suzuki and Vallencia 1997)

Suzuki and Vallencia (1997) assert that several studies have been conducted to observe differences in IQ's amongst various ethnic groups. The studies found that Native Americans and Hispanics seem to have greater visual reasoning abilities and lower verbal skills; while people in the Asian culture tend to have high visual and numerical reasoning skills. Many experts believe that these differences have to do with the non-verbal communication that is standard in some cultures, which forces individuals to pick up on visual clues. Some researchers have also concluded that some of the differences have to do with the religious and philosophical beliefs of certain cultures.

In short all of these researchers are saying that culture is a central part pf measuring intelligence. For instance, if an American who is extremely good with computers goes to visit a tribe deep in the Amazon that has not have any need for a computer, then his skills are useless in the Amazon. This does not mean that he is intellectually inferior to the tribe in the Amazon it just means that cultural differences have dictated the need to acquire different skills. In the Amazon the people may need to become skilled hunters and fishermen. While Americans need to learn how to operate a computer -- the skills acquired are relative to the culture that the individual lives in.

There have been several historical implications of culturally biased intelligence assessments. According to the APA Monitor, Dr. Robert Williams, a black psychologist, created the Black Intelligence Test of Cultural Homogeneity. ("Enriching the Focus on ethnicity and race," 1998) The purpose of the test was to illustrate that intelligence had a cultural basis as opposed to a genetic one. He sought to prove that if an intelligence test was based on the specific cultural norms of the individuals being tested, then the outcome of the test would demonstrate that intelligence was relative to culture. ("Enriching the Focus on ethnicity and race," 1998)

Williams is not alone in his belief that intelligence can only truly be measured within the correct cultural context. Segall (1998) explains that culture and intelligence are intertwined and highly dependent upon one another. The article, published in American Psychologist explains that it is critical that psychologists began to take a serious look at the effect of culture on human behavior and intellect. (Segall, 1998) Segall asserts that taking culture into consideration is the only way to truly measure intelligence or to properly observe human behavior. (Segall, 1998)

According to Myers (1995) one of the most profound implications came during World War I when army recruits and new immigrants were given IQ tests designed by Terman. According to many experts in the field at that time, the test scores indicated that many of the subjects displayed an inferior intelligence compared to Caucasians. In addition, in 1913 a psychologist named Henry Goddard concluded that at least 80% of individuals within each new immigrant group were feeble minded. Goddard's results played an instrumental role in the formation of the 1924 immigration law, which deceased quotas for immigrants from southern and eastern Europe while increasing quotas for western and northern Europe.

Despite the efforts of Robert Williams, psychologists continued to hold fast to the notion that minorities were of inferior intelligence based on IQ tests. In fact, in 1994 Dr. Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray authored a book entitled "The Bell Curve" which capitalized on the notion of intellectual inferiority. ("Enriching the Focus on ethnicity and race," 1998) The book asserts that unemployment, low income levels and reliance upon the welfare system were simply inherent to minority groups because low IQ's were based on genetic premise within these groups. ("Enriching the Focus on ethnicity and race," 1998)

Herrnstein and Murray (1994) also assert that those that are intellectually inferior should be made wards of the state. The authors write that these wards of the state should be relegated to living on reservation while the rest of America "goes about its business." (Herrnstein and Murray 1994) Herrnstein and Murray believe that the preservation of American individualism was dependent upon separating the intellectually inferior from the rest of the population. (Herrnstein and Murray 1994)

Hilliard (2000) contends that the beliefs presented in "The Bell Curve" don't factor in the impact that a teacher can have on the intelligence of an individual. In addition Hilliard asserts that the ideas that Herrnstein and Murray have are primitive and unfounded. Hilliard concludes that this book is inaccurate in its assessment of people that are perceived as intellectually inferior. (Hilliard, 2000)

The most popular IQ tests used and continued impact of cultural bias on IQ testing

There are several different IQ tests that are used to assess intelligence today. One of the most widely used is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale -- Revised (WAIS-R). (Myers 1995) This test was created by David Wechsler and is composed of 11 subtests that report overall intelligence and separate verbal and nonverbal scores. This intelligence test can determine whether or not an individual has a learning disability and it can also show an employer the strengths and weaknesses of an employee. (Myers 1995)

Morris (2002) explains that "The Bell Curve," "continues to propagate the notion in the academy and popular culture that a major reason African-Americans do not achieve in schools might be more connected to rank-and-file notions of African-Americans' innate intellectual inferiority, than to persistent, concrete structural and historic forces." (Morris 2002) Morris (2002) contends that the assertions made by Herrnstein and Murray have had profound implications upon gifted education in the African-American community. He asserts that the racist notions created by culturally biased IQ tests have taken up residence in America's school systems and prevent African-American students from receiving access to gifted programs in schools. (Morris 2002)

Morris writes that black students are disproportionately overlooked when it comes to placement in gifted programs and programs that are designed to prepare students for college. On the other hand they are disproportionately placed in special education programs in our nation's schools. Morris asserts that this is just one of the lingering effects of culturally biased intelligence assessments. (Morris 2002)

Morris is not the only one that is concerned about the neglect of gifted African-American students in the school system. Patton (1992) writes that the problem of overlooking gifted black students is rooted in the belief that black people are intellectually inferior. Patton explains, "One problem is that there is no systematic, well-defined logic of inquiry for assessing and identifying gifts and talents among African-American learners. Instead, attempts to identify gifts and talents among African-Americans have frequently relied on assessment approaches that are not grounded in African-American worldviews, ethos, and culture and do not consider the types of intelligences African-Americans have developed consonant with tasks viewed important by this group of individuals." (Patton 1992) The ar

An article in the journal of Remedial and Special Education reports similar findings. Townsend (2002) suggests that minority students have been saturated with remedial approaches to learning. Townsend asserts that is approach is not because these students learn at a remedial level but because teachers have preconceived notions about what these students can achieve based on bias intellectual assessments of the past. Finally, the article asserts that this remedial approach to learning prevents certain groups of children from competing with their white peers. (Townsend 2000)

The proliferations of these culturally biased tests have had a great impact on the way that different students are perceived. It seems that the stigma created by Terman has had a lasting impact on the educational system. It is apparent that educators and psychologists have been unable to dismiss these unfound notions although many of them realize that the IQ tests and other standardized tests show cultural bias.

The continued impact of culturally biased testing has also enveloped various professions. Because of the perceived notions of an inferior IQ, minorities are constantly overlooked for jobs that they are more than qualifies to perform. The Fordham Urban Law Journal reports that leading law firms are failing to promote minorities even though minorities are graduating from college at an increased rate. (Brosnan 2001) The author admits that not all of the problems that minorities have in the workforce are related to culturally biased test. Brosnan (2001) concedes that many law firms fail to promote black talent because they believe blacks don't have connections to businesses and lack the mentorship that is needed to climb the ranks at a law firm. (Brosnan 2001) However, Brosnan does conclude that the beliefs about the intellectual inferiority of minorities.

An article entitled, "A threat in the air," explains that culturally biased IQ testing has resulted in a school system that places stereotypes upon students. Steele (1997) explains that the stereotypes that are place on many students causes them to under perform on standardized tests because they do not believe that they can do just as well as a white student. (Steele 1997) Stereotypes condition these kids into thinking that they are unable to achieve specific goals. In addition, many students are in classrooms with teachers that have given into the notion that only white students can excel in academia and do not challenge minorities to obtain a good education. (Steele 1997)

Shwartz and Wehmeyer (2001) explain that in addition to cultural biases pertaining to race there are also cultural biases that pertain to gender. The author contends that one of the reasons that boys out number girls in special education classes has to do with gender roles and gender bias in our culture. The article published in Education and Treatment of children asserts that assessments of intellect and admission into special education programs is biased towards girls because there are preconceived notions that girls are good and gentle. Schwartz and Wheeler (2001) concluded that girls are often denied access to special education classes that could be of benefit to them simply because it is believed that females possess the intellect to adapt better to whatever environment that they are placed in. (Schwartz and Wheeler 2001)

Implications of using Psychometrics and the ethical implications of not creating a culturally unbiased test

According to Ceci (1994) psychometrics is a field of measurement theory created by Lloyd Humphreys. Humphreys believed that IQ was related to heritability. (Ceci 1994)The implication of this theory is that an individuals' IQ has nothing to do with culture or the forces at work in the environment. Implying that very important variables can be ignored when measuring intelligence is a falsehood and full of contradictions. Many who concede that this notion is correct have no concept of the effect of culture and environment on the human psyche. (Ceci 1994)

If a culturally unbiased test is not created the results could be devastating. Minorities in America will continue to be stereotyped because of the culturally biased standards that are presented in many of the current IQ test. These stereotypes cause students to perform poorly in school creating a cycle of poverty in their communities. (Steele 1997) These culturally biased tests must begin to embrace racial and cultural differences incorporate these differences into the test. Culturally unbiased test will also aid all of us in understanding one another better and embracing our difference.

In addition, if a culturally unbiased test is not created many gifted students will continue to be denied the right to have access to the level of education that they need to properly develop their skills and excel in academia. (Morris 2002) Excelling in academia could provide these students with profound opportunities to study abroad and positively impact their communities. Culturally unbiased test could serve to boost the self-esteem of millions of people and give them confidence as they face the world.

Discussion

Our literary review has shown that IQ test have been culturally biased for decades. We found that many of the scientists that created the tests all ready had preconceived beliefs about minority groups and believed in the supremacy of their own groups. Psychologists such as Terman actually believed that 80% of new immigrants were intellectually inferior to western and northern Europeans and their beliefs helped to shape immigration laws. Our review found that IQ assessment had a profound effect upon the way that individuals perceived and treated one another.

We also found that cultural bias in IQ testing involved shaping questions to fit a euro-centric world view. In doing this the psychologists that created the test made it impossible for anyone that lacked their worldview to excel on the test. These psychologists totally ignored cultural and environmental factors that contribute to an individual's intelligence quotient.

Our literary review also indicated that many different psychologists including Robert Williams have attempted to dispel the myth that minorities are intellectually inferior. Williams wanted to demonstrate that intelligence was relative to culture and that the intelligence is not genetic. He seemed to believe that if individuals were given IQ tests based on their culture then their intelligence could be properly measured.

With this being said our literary review also found that there are individuals that still believe that intelligence is genetic and has nothing to do with culture. The book "The bell curve" was at the center of our discussion and we found that the authors of this book believed that those with inferior intelligence should be made wards of the state and not be allowed to live with the general population. The authors believed that these intellectual inferiors would somehow taint American Society and our ideas about individualism. The thoughts that these authors project and the venom that they spew is cause fro great alarm and should not be taken lightly.

Our research also found that the most common intelligence that is used today is the WAIS -- R. The test was created by David Wechsler and has 11 subtests. This test is extremely important to educators because it allows them to catch learning problems early so that they can be dealt with.

We also found that the conclusion made about the intelligence of minorities in the past has greatly effected the present. These effects are most evident in the school system. Our review showed that many minority children have been denied their rightful place in gifted programs because of preconceived notions of intelligence. Many schools simply overlook minority students because they think that these students can't learn or don't possess the intelligence of their white counterparts. Our research found that minority students are disproportionately placed in special education classes while simultaneously being denied acceptance into gifted classrooms.

We also found that minority students within the educational system are routinely stereotyped which creates a feeling of inadequacy. We found that this inadequacy can translate into lower grades in school and on other standardized test. We found that because of notions about intelligence levels minority students are not being challenged to utilize their abilities the way that white students are.

The final thing that we discovered about the impact of cultural bias in intelligence assessment is that many minority students are only exposed to remedial approaches to learning.

Teachers that have succumbed to the notion that minorities are of inferior intelligence have failed to give their minority students the skills that they need to operate in the real world. In addition, these students will find it very difficult to compete with their white counterparts for admission to college and jobs when they graduate. The impact of culturally biased assessment on the educational system has been devastating for minority communities.

If change does not come soon the effects of these assessments could last for generations. At the current time there are no mainstream tests that are culturally unbiased, which is hard to believe in 2003. The test that was created by Dr. Robert Williams never became a widely accepted test. Even though a mainstream culturally unbiased test has not yet been created Patton (1992) has some ideas about how an intelligence test should look for African-Americans. In the article "Assessment and identification of African-American learners with gifts and talents" he explains that the assessment should contain an African-American philosophical system that is pure. The philosophy would reflect the history and worldview of African-Americans. Patton concedes that not all African-Americans will share the same views but there are certain commonalities that would make this test a better measurement of intelligence among blacks.

When a mainstream culturally unbiased assessment is finally developed the implementation of the test will have to be extremely ethical. Individuals that are administering the test must be trained to on how to properly give the test and how to interpret the results. The subjects must also understand the seriousness of the test and be determined to do their best. If the test is not handled with integrity, the stereotypes about intellectual inferiority among minorities will only be perpetuated.

Additionally, the entity that creates the tests must be willing to undergo careful scrutiny by independent researchers to ensure that the test has a solid foundation is Psychology and human behavior. In addition, the creative entity and the independent researchers must carefully examine every aspect of the test to ensure that it is totally unbiased. In taking these steps the integrity of the test will be accepted in the mainstream and perhaps many of the stereotypes and notions of inferior intelligence among minorities will be eradicated.

There is no doubt that intelligence testing can be created to ensure that all of the racial and ethnic groups that are represented around the world can be assessed properly. The concept of creating a test that suits everyone is challenging but with hard work and diligence this concept can become a reality. Creating such a test would greatly improve the educational system.

Conclusion

The purpose of this discussion was to explore the cultural bias' that exist in intelligence quotient testing. We began with a literary review which started by explaining the definition of cultural bias in testing and the historical implications. We explained the origins of the IQ test and the reasons why the cultural bias exist. We concluded that culturally biased test were originally created by Anglo Saxons who wove their beliefs in to the structure of the IQ test making it biased and excluding all other cultures. We concluded that many of these psychologists had racist presuppositions that spilled over into the creation of the IQ test.

Our discussion then focused on how cultural bias in intelligence assessment has produced historical implications. We found that one of the most historic implications that occurred as a result of IQ testing was the immigration law. Our investigation revealed that these immigration laws were created after it was reported that 80% of new immigrants were feeble minded based on IQ test. We concluded that the IQ test had a profound effect on American laws and the way that people were treated.